LA Times California Politics Editor

Sacramento, CA
Joined June 2009
Judge Carter, a former prosecutor, was a U.S. Marine and is a wounded Vietnam War veteran. He was appointment to the federal bench by President Clinton, and nominated by Sen. Dianne Feinstein – both Democrats. His nomination was supported by the California Republican Party.
BREAKING: In a blow for DOJ, the federal judge overseeing the case involving the alleged 20,000 non-citizen voters in California has been switched from Judge John W. Holcomb (Trump appointee) to Judge David Carter (Clinton appointee). This switch will be seen as a win for LA County/California. Judge Carter previously dismissed a DOJ lawsuit against CA last year that accused the state of not following federal laws on proper maintenance of voter rolls. Here's what Judge Carter wrote when dismissing the case to give a flavor of his thinking on the topic: “State run elections mean that voters recognize their neighbors who staff polling stations, trust their Secretaries of State—whom they voted for—to keep their personally identifying information safe, and believe that they will not be targeted because of what they look like or who they vote for. The DOJ’s request for the sensitive information of Californians stands to have a chilling effect on American citizens like political minority groups and working-class immigrants who may consider not registering to vote or skip casting a ballot because they are worried about how their information will be used."
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I might still be alive today if I had this option on my 1993 Toyota pickup.
Turns out the future does have flying cars
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Phil Willon 🦅 retweeted
NEW: California’s recall system is a mess. Voters can do something about it. Prop 5 on the November ballot would prevent a governor's replacement from taking office by winning just marginal support. It's the first step toward a badly needed overhaul. latimes.com/politics/newslet…
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Phil Willon 🦅 retweeted
The Trump administration is denouncing California’s plan for managing the pumping of water from the state's largest rivers, arguing it would jeopardize water for farms. The Central Valley's biggest agricultural water agency is also objecting to the plan. latimes.com/environment/stor…
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Phil Willon 🦅 retweeted
Another beautiful sunset in Los Angeles as Dodgers Tommy Edman sprints to first base during a game against the Cincinnati Reds Monday night. @Dodgers
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A red sun burns on the final day of the California legislative session. Can’t be a good sign.
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Phil Willon 🦅 retweeted
Today, I was informed that the Department of Defense is firing me for insubordination after I told a CBS reporter that I work for Stars and Stripes – not the Pentagon, not any administration, and not any policy maker.
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Former All-Star Dodger Steve Garvey received just 28% of the vote in the City of Los Angeles when he ran as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2024, in case you were wondering. h/t @rpyers
Replying to @rpyers
Republicans make up less than 15% of the City of Los Angeles' voter registration, and GOP candidates running citywide typically have consistently ended up in the low- to mid-20s for well over a decade. Steve Garvey's 28% was one of the better recent results.
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